Dracut boy, 12, steers car to safety after dad falls ill

Saturday, September 8, 2012 -- Anonymous (not verified)

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Saturday, September 8, 2012

Author(s):

John Zaremba

A 12-year-old boy from Dracut saved his father’s life on Route 95 in Peabody this afternoon, calmly taking the steering wheel and guiding the car into the breakdown lane as his dad suffered a seizure, state police said.

“It’s absolutely amazing what this young man did,” state police spokesman David Procopio said. “To see a child with the poise and quick thinking to do that is just amazing.”

Police say the boy grabbed his father’s cell phone and called 911, then calmly described his surroundings to a dispatcher. While on the phone, he grabbed the wheel and steered the car into the breakdown lane, where it stopped. It was not immediately clear whether the boy or his father applied the brakes.

The boy — whose name police have not yet released — then got his 9-year-old sister out of the car and brought her behind the guardrail for safety while waiting for police to arrive. Through a cell-phone tracker and the boy’s description, troopers found the car on a ramp from Route 95 to Route 128.

The father was unconscious and taken to Lahey Clinic in Peabody, where police say he has recovered.

“We’re very happy to hear his dad is doing well. This very well could have ended differently had the boy not reacted as he did. We plan to nominate the young man for a lifesaving award,” Procopio said. “That would be exceptional poise and clear thinking from an adult. For a boy to do that is just amazing.”